An Ellipsis Analysis of Gapping in Korean

doi:10.18627/jslg.41.2.202508.161

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2025 Vol.41, Issue 2 Preview Page Next Page

Research Article

An Ellipsis Analysis of Gapping in Korean: Jo, Jinwoo^1*; ¹Jeonbuk National University

31 August 2025. pp. 161-176

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Abstract

This paper examines two types of constructions in Korean that correspond, in different respects, to the gapping construction in English. It argues that these two types of constructions can be given a unified account through a variant of VP ellipsis analysis involving focus movement followed by deletion under identity. It is claimed that the proposed analysis not only accounts for the patterns that cannot be easily accounted for by the ATB movement analysis, but also circumvents the problems associated with the focus movement analysis. Furthermore, two potential problems for the proposed analysis, those involving the reciprocal pronoun selo ‘each other’ and a negative polarity item (NPI) like amwukes-to ‘anything-also’, are shown not to be actual problems, as their behaviors can be accounted for on independent grounds.

Keywords

gapping

ellipsis

focus movement

reciprocal

NPI

References

Abe, J. and Hoshi, H. 1995. Gapping and the Directionality of Movement. Proceedings of the Sixth Formal Linguistics Society of Mid-America Conference, 82-93.
Ai, R. R. 2014. Topic-Comment Structure, Focus Movement, and Gapping Formation. Linguistic Inquiry 45.1, 125-145. 10.1162/LING_a_00150
Baltin, M. 2003. The Interaction of Ellipsis and Binding: Implications for the Sequencing of Principle A. Natural Language & Linguistic Theory 21.2, 215-246. 10.1023/A:1023342528033
Belletti, A. 2004. Aspects of the Low IP Area. In L. Rizzi (ed.), The Structure of CP and IP: The Cartography of Syntactic Structures (Volume 2). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 16-51. 10.1093/oso/9780195159486.003.0002
Bennett, M. R. 1974. Some Extensions of a Montague Fragment of English. Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles.
Choi, Y. S. 2004. The Structure of Selo and its Implication for Binding Theory. Language Research 40.3, 681-694.
Choi, Y. S. 2019. Gapping in V+ko Construction in Korean as Dependent Ellipsis. The Linguistic Association of Korea Journal 27.3, 75-97. 10.24303/lakdoi.2019.27.3.75
Coppock, E. 2001. Gapping: In Defense of Deletion. CLS 37-1: The Main Session, 133-148.
Cyrino, S. and Matos, G. 2002. VP ellipsis in European and Brazilian Portuguese: A Comparative Analysis. Journal of Portuguese Linguistics 1.2, 177-195. 10.5334/jpl.41
Goldberg, L. 2005. Verb-Stranding VP Ellipsis: A Cross-Linguistic Study. Ph.D. dissertation, McGill University.
Hankamer, J. 1979. Deletion in Coordinate Structures. New York, NY: Garland.
Heim, I., Lasnik, H. and May, R. 1991. Reciprocity and Plurality. Linguistic Inquiry 22.1, 63-101.
Hoji, H. 2003. Falsifiability and Repeatability in Generative Grammar: A Case Study of Anaphora and Scope Dependency in Japanese. Lingua 113, 377-446. 10.1016/S0024-3841(02)00081-5
Jayaseelan, K. A. 1990. Incomplete VP Deletion and Gapping. Linguistic Analysis 20.1-2, 64-81.
Jayaseelan, K. A. 2001. IP-Internal Topic and Focus Phrases. Studia Linguistica 55.1, 39-75. 10.1111/1467-9582.00074
Johnson, K. 1994. Bridging the Gap. Manuscript, University of Massachusetts, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Johnson, K. 2000. How Far Will Quantifiers Go? In R. Martin, D. Michaels, and J. Uriagereka (eds.), Step by Step. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 187-210.
Johnson, K. 2004. In Search of the English Middle Field. Manuscript, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Johnson, K. 2009. Gapping is Not (VP-)Ellipsis. Linguistic Inquiry 40.2, 289-328. 10.1162/ling.2009.40.2.289
Kasai, H. 2000. Some Split Antecedents are Not Split. Linguistic Research 17, 47-60.
Katada, F. 1991. The LF Representation of Anaphors. Linguistic Inquiry 22.2, 287-313.
Kim, J.-S. 1997. Syntactic Focus Movement and Ellipsis: A Minimalist Approach. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Connecticut.
Lasnik, H. 1995. Verbal Morphology: Syntactic Structures Meets the Minimalist Program. In H. Campos and P. Kempchinsky (eds.), Evolution and Revolution in Linguistic Theory. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 251-276.
Lasnik, H. 1999. On Feature Strength: Three Minimalist Approaches to Overt Movement. Linguistic Inquiry 30.2, 197-217. 10.1162/002438999554039
Lee, W. 2015. Modifier-Sharing Constructions in Korean. Linguistic Research 32.1, 195-223. 10.17250/khisli.32.1.201504.007
Lin, I.-W. V. 2002. Coordination and Sharing at the Interfaces. Ph.D. dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
López, L. and Winkler, S. 2003. Variation at the Syntax-Semantics Interface: Evidence from Gapping. In K. Schwabe and S. Winkler (eds.), The Interfaces: Deriving and Interpreting Omitted Structures. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 227-248. 10.1075/la.61.11lop
Pesetsky, D. 1982. Paths and Categories. Ph.D. dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Ross, J. R. 1970. Gapping and the Order of Constituents. In M. Bierwisch and K. E. Heidolph (eds.), Progress in Linguistics. The Hague: Mouton, 249-259.
Sag, I. 1976. Deletion and Logical Form. Ph.D. dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Schoorlemmer, E. and Temmerman, T. 2012. Head Movement as a PF-Phenomenon: Evidence from Identity under Ellipsis. Proceedings of the 29th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics, 232-240.
Takahashi, S. 2004. Pseudogapping and Cyclic Linearization. NELS 34, 571-585.
Vicente, L. 2010. A Note on the Movement Analysis of Gapping. Linguistic Inquiry 41.3, 509-517. 10.1162/LING_a_00008

Information

Publisher :The Modern Linguistic Society of Korea
Publisher(Ko) :한국현대언어학회
Journal Title :The Journal of Studies in Language
Journal Title(Ko) :언어연구
Volume : 41
No :2
Pages :161-176
DOI :https://doi.org/10.18627/jslg.41.2.202508.161

[1] Abe, J. and Hoshi, H. 1995. Gapping and the Directionality of Movement. Proceedings of the Sixth Formal Linguistics Society of Mid-America Conference, 82-93.

[2] Ai, R. R. 2014. Topic-Comment Structure, Focus Movement, and Gapping Formation. Linguistic Inquiry 45.1, 125-145. 10.1162/LING_a_00150

[3] Baltin, M. 2003. The Interaction of Ellipsis and Binding: Implications for the Sequencing of Principle A. Natural Language & Linguistic Theory 21.2, 215-246. 10.1023/A:1023342528033

[4] Belletti, A. 2004. Aspects of the Low IP Area. In L. Rizzi (ed.), The Structure of CP and IP: The Cartography of Syntactic Structures (Volume 2). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 16-51. 10.1093/oso/9780195159486.003.0002

[5] Bennett, M. R. 1974. Some Extensions of a Montague Fragment of English. Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles.

[6] Choi, Y. S. 2004. The Structure of Selo and its Implication for Binding Theory. Language Research 40.3, 681-694.

[7] Choi, Y. S. 2019. Gapping in V+ko Construction in Korean as Dependent Ellipsis. The Linguistic Association of Korea Journal 27.3, 75-97. 10.24303/lakdoi.2019.27.3.75

[8] Coppock, E. 2001. Gapping: In Defense of Deletion. CLS 37-1: The Main Session, 133-148.

[9] Cyrino, S. and Matos, G. 2002. VP ellipsis in European and Brazilian Portuguese: A Comparative Analysis. Journal of Portuguese Linguistics 1.2, 177-195. 10.5334/jpl.41

[10] Goldberg, L. 2005. Verb-Stranding VP Ellipsis: A Cross-Linguistic Study. Ph.D. dissertation, McGill University.

[11] Hankamer, J. 1979. Deletion in Coordinate Structures. New York, NY: Garland.

[12] Heim, I., Lasnik, H. and May, R. 1991. Reciprocity and Plurality. Linguistic Inquiry 22.1, 63-101.

[13] Hoji, H. 2003. Falsifiability and Repeatability in Generative Grammar: A Case Study of Anaphora and Scope Dependency in Japanese. Lingua 113, 377-446. 10.1016/S0024-3841(02)00081-5

[14] Jayaseelan, K. A. 1990. Incomplete VP Deletion and Gapping. Linguistic Analysis 20.1-2, 64-81.

[15] Jayaseelan, K. A. 2001. IP-Internal Topic and Focus Phrases. Studia Linguistica 55.1, 39-75. 10.1111/1467-9582.00074

[16] Johnson, K. 1994. Bridging the Gap. Manuscript, University of Massachusetts, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

[17] Johnson, K. 2000. How Far Will Quantifiers Go? In R. Martin, D. Michaels, and J. Uriagereka (eds.), Step by Step. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 187-210.

[18] Johnson, K. 2004. In Search of the English Middle Field. Manuscript, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

[19] Johnson, K. 2009. Gapping is Not (VP-)Ellipsis. Linguistic Inquiry 40.2, 289-328. 10.1162/ling.2009.40.2.289

[20] Kasai, H. 2000. Some Split Antecedents are Not Split. Linguistic Research 17, 47-60.

[21] Katada, F. 1991. The LF Representation of Anaphors. Linguistic Inquiry 22.2, 287-313.

[22] Kim, J.-S. 1997. Syntactic Focus Movement and Ellipsis: A Minimalist Approach. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Connecticut.

[23] Lasnik, H. 1995. Verbal Morphology: Syntactic Structures Meets the Minimalist Program. In H. Campos and P. Kempchinsky (eds.), Evolution and Revolution in Linguistic Theory. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 251-276.

[24] Lasnik, H. 1999. On Feature Strength: Three Minimalist Approaches to Overt Movement. Linguistic Inquiry 30.2, 197-217. 10.1162/002438999554039

[25] Lee, W. 2015. Modifier-Sharing Constructions in Korean. Linguistic Research 32.1, 195-223. 10.17250/khisli.32.1.201504.007

[26] Lin, I.-W. V. 2002. Coordination and Sharing at the Interfaces. Ph.D. dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

[27] López, L. and Winkler, S. 2003. Variation at the Syntax-Semantics Interface: Evidence from Gapping. In K. Schwabe and S. Winkler (eds.), The Interfaces: Deriving and Interpreting Omitted Structures. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 227-248. 10.1075/la.61.11lop

[28] Pesetsky, D. 1982. Paths and Categories. Ph.D. dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

[29] Ross, J. R. 1970. Gapping and the Order of Constituents. In M. Bierwisch and K. E. Heidolph (eds.), Progress in Linguistics. The Hague: Mouton, 249-259.

[30] Sag, I. 1976. Deletion and Logical Form. Ph.D. dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

[31] Schoorlemmer, E. and Temmerman, T. 2012. Head Movement as a PF-Phenomenon: Evidence from Identity under Ellipsis. Proceedings of the 29th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics, 232-240.

[32] Takahashi, S. 2004. Pseudogapping and Cyclic Linearization. NELS 34, 571-585.

[33] Vicente, L. 2010. A Note on the Movement Analysis of Gapping. Linguistic Inquiry 41.3, 509-517. 10.1162/LING_a_00008

The Journal of Studies in Language ISSN:1225-4770(Print) 2671-6151(Online) 언어연구

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